Door latch



D. w. woob Oct. 4, 1932.

DOOR LATCH Filed May 26, 1931 '2 Sheets-Sheet M m m A J WITNESSES Oct.4, 1932. w w 1,880,636

DOOR LATCH Filed May 26. 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ,U WZlivooZ,

a 5 7 ATTOR N EYS v Patented Oct. 4, 1932 r OFFICE DAVID w. wool), orBRAZIL, INDIANA DOOR LATCH Application filed May 26, 1931. Serial No.540,112.

The invention relates to a device for latching or bolting all kinds ofdoors and which 1s designed and adapted to be used advantage- I ously inconjunctlon with the doors ofauto V and V. the outside tions,construction tion being taken on 35 mobiles.

An object of the invention is the provision of a device of the indicatedcharacter whose bolt may be operated both from the inside outside of thedoor to which the device is applied, with the further provision that thebolt may be controlled from the insideof the door so that the boltcannot be operated from the outside of the door. I

A further object of the invention is the provision of improvements in adevice of the indicated character whereby the bolt is released from itsretracted position for movement into its latching position in responseto tion.

. V: the movement of the door to its closed posi- 20 A further objeottofthe invention is the provision of improvements in a door latch wherebyits latch bolt cannot be moved to its retracted position from theoutside of the door when the bolt is partly in its latching position. I

With the foregoing and other objects in view the invention resides inthe combinaand operation of the parts hereinafter fully described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which 7 Figure 1 isavertical section shOWing the device applied to a door and its jamb, thesecthe line 11 of Figure 2;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22 of Figure 1; A I

Figure 3 is a side view of the latch with its bolt in the latching orbolting position and handle checked from retracting the bolt; I

Figure A is a view similar to Figure 3 but showing the bolt in itspartly projected position; t

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section illustrating the check for releasablyretaining the bolt in its retracted position;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 5; I

Figure 7 is a vertical section of the keeper.

In the drawings there has been shown, by

way of example, an automobile door 10 and its jamb' 11 forming part ofthe automobile body, and it being understood that the door 10 swings ona vertical axis. The device of the present invention consists sembly,sembly being carried by thedoor 10 and the keeper assembly beingarranged on the j amb 11. The door has a space or recess to receive thelatch assembly. I I

The latch assembly includes a plate 12 whichis secured in place withinthe recess in the door 10 by suitable fastening elements 13. The plate12 has a vertical end flange 14, and also has bearing blocks 15 and 16which may be secured thereto or formed integral therewith,;the blocks15' and 16, in the present instance, being secured to the plate byfastening elements 17 and 18, respectively. A latch bolt 19, is mountedfor sliding movement between the blocks 15 and 16 to retracted and alsolatching or bolting positions. The bolt 19 is under the influence of anexpansion spring 20 which has one'end in engagement witha lateral lug 21on the plate 12, and its opposite end being disposed in a bore in thebolt 19 and in contact therewith, to move the bolt to latching orboltingposition. A handle lever 22 is supported by the block 16 and extendsthrough the door to the outside thereof and is therefore to be known asthe outside handle lever. This lever 22 has rocking or pivotal movementandcooperates with a lateral projection or pin 28 on the bolt 19 for thepurpose of retracting the bolt. A handle lever 24 is mounted on theplate ,12 and projects upwardly through an opening in the top of thedoor 10, and is to be known as the inside handle lever. This handlelever 24 cooperates with an upstanding lug, 'pin or projection 25 on theinner end of the bolt 19 to move the bolt to its retracted position.

n order to retain the bolt 19 in its retracted position and also toautomatically release the bolt to its latching or bolting position asthe door 10 is moved into its closed position there is provided meanspresently to be described. A latch member, check or dog 26 is arrangedin a vertical bore in the block 15 directly over the bolt 19, and isunder the of a latohasand a keeper assembly, the latch as influence ofan expansion spring 27 arranged betweenthe dog 26 and the block 15. An

actuator 28 is arranged in a horizontal bore in the block forcooperation with'the dog.

26. The dog 26 and actuator 28 are disposed at right angles with respectto each other and are slidable with respect to each other. The dog andactuator 28 have contacting mitered faces which produce a cainmingaction so that when the actuator 28 is moved inwardly it will causethedog 26 to move upwardly against the action of the spring 27, and whenthe dog 26 is free to move downwardly,

28 is limited in its outward movement by .a stop 29 carried by the block15, which stop enters a groove in the actuator to he engaged by theshoulders 30 formed by the groove; The bolt 19 has a notch or recess 31in the upper surface thereof to receive the lower end of the dog 26 whenthe bolt 19 is withdrawn or moved into its retracted'position, as shownin Figure 4. It will be understood that actuator 28 keeps the dog 26inits up position until the bolt is in its retracted posi orv boltingposition.

'The bolt 19 in its latching or bolting position is received in a recess33 in the jainb 11. A keeper abutment 34 is arranged in the recess 33.This abutment 34 is rockably mounted by reason of the semi-globularmember 35 received ona seat of an attachment 36 secured as at 37 tothejanib 11, and said'abutment is also yieldaloly supportedby reason ofa spring 38 surrounding aste-m 39 on the member 35, the spring beingdisposed in contact with the attachment 36 and a collar 40 on the stem39. The keeper abutment 34 is engaged by the bolt 19 and by reason ofthe fact that it may have rocking movement and the further factthat itis 'yieldable, any slight dis-placement of the bolt 19 will becompensated, thereby always maintaining a firm-engagementof the bolt 19with the abutment 34. lnthislmanner vibration andrattling will beeliminated.

In order to prevent the bolt 19 being moved to its retracted position,when the bolt is in its full latching or boltingposition or partly insuch position, by the outside handle lever 22, there is provided meanspresently to be described. A detent: or dog 41 is pivotally mounted asat 42 on the-block 1'5 and has a tail 43 on one end which is acted on bya downthrow cam 44 on the lower end. of the the actuator 28 will bemoved out; wardly to a projected position. "The actuator dog 26 andreleasing handle lever 24. The detent or dog 41 is under the influenceof a spring 45 which constantly acts on the detent or dog to move theend 46 thereof in a down position in the path of the arm 47 of the lever22, as shown in Figure 3.. When the lever 24 is moved to a substantiallyvertical position, thecam 44 bearing on the tail 43 of the dog 41 willhold the latter in a position inwhich the end 46 thereof will be clearof the arm 47 thereby makingit possible for a person to operate theoutside handle lever 22 to move the bolt 19 to its retracted position,for the purpose of opening the door 10. It will also be ap parent thattheinsi-dexhandle lever 24 may be moved in the direction indicated bythe arrow in Fig. 1 to move the bolt 19 to its retracted position .byreason or the .coac-tion of the lever 24 with the projection 25. As thebolt 19 'is moved into its retracted position by .operating either thelever 22 or the lever 24, the dog 26 will engage the bolt 19 .byentering the recess 31 and thus releasably retain the bolt 19 in itsretracted position. As explained above, as the door 10 is moved into itsclosed position, the actuator will be .tor ced'inwardly- T by theabutment 32,'therebydisengaging the the bolt 19 .tor move-- ment by thespring 20. to its latching o1; bolting position in engagement with the Akeeper abutment. 34. 7

Attention is now called to the fact thatfthe detent or dog 41 has teeth48 either of which may be engaged by the upper end of the arm 47 whenthe dog is in its down position, to prevent the outside handle lever 22from being operated to move the bolt 19 to a retracted position when thebolt is partly in a latching or Jbolting position iior any reason.

It is to be observed that as the bolt 19 moves to its latching orbolting position, the pin 23 acting on the arm 47 will .move the outsidehandle lever 22 to its normal position, or partly into this positionshould the bolt 19 only movepartly to its latching or bolting positionas shown in Figure 4. It will be apparent that the outside handle lever22eannot be operated to move the bolt 19 to its retracted positionbecause the arm 47 is in engagement with one of the teeth 48 ofthe dog41. When the lever 24 is. in-a partly retracted position to move thedog41 to a position to prevent the operation of the outside handle lever22, the tail 43 of the dog will be in contact with the lateralprojection 49' on the lower end of the lever 24. The projection 49serves as a fulcrum for the dog 41 causing it to move upwardly inresponse to the movement of the arm 47. In this connection it is to beobserved that the dog 41 has a slot '50 through which the pivot 42extends.

Safety means is provided to :prevent the dog 41 from being set inposition by the cam 44 of the lever 24 in .a-position to prevent themovement of the outside handle lever V 22 1 when the bolt 19 is in itsretracted position. The said means consists of a laterally projectingpin 51 on the lower end of the lever 24, and an upwardly projecting pin52 on the bolt 19. On reference to Figure 1 it will be seen that thebolt 19 is shown in its retracted position in dotted lines and that thepin 52 will be encountered by the pin 51, thereby preventing movement ofthe lever 24 to the left. In this manner it will be im possible for aperson to move the dog 11 to a latching position in relation to the arm47 by moving the lever 24. It will therefore be understood that the doorwill not be unintentionally latched against being opened from theoutside with the handle lever 22. The lever 24 is frictionally held indifferent positions by a spring 53.

I claim:

1. The combination with 'a door latch including a slidable latch bolt;of a device for releasably retaining said bolt in its retractedposition, said device comprising a bearing in fixed relation to saidbolt, a dog slidable in said bearing, a spring between the bearing anddog to move the latter to a retaining position in engagement with thebolt when the bolt is in its retracted position to retain it therein, anactuator slidable insaid hearing, said dog and actuator havingcontacting mitered ends whereby the dog will be disengaged from the boltwhen the actuator is moved inwardly, to release the bolt for movement toits latching position, and said actuator being moved outwardly to anactuable position by the movement of the dog to its bolt engaging andretaining position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a bolt movableto a retracted position and a bolting position, a bearing in fixedrelation to said bolt, and cooperative members supported by said bearingfor movement with respect to each other, one of said members being inthe form of a dog engageable with said bolt to retain it in itsretracted position, yieldable means constantly acting on said dog tourge it into its retaining position, and the other of said members beingin the form of an actuator for moving said dog out of engagement withsaid bolt to allow the latter to be moved to its bolting position.

3. The combination with a door latch including a slidable latch bolt; ofa device for combination of a movable latch bolt, means to move saidbolt to its latching position and yieldable to allow the bolt to bemoved to a retracted position, means including an inside handle operableto move said bolt to its retracted position; means including an outsidehandle operable to move said bolt to its retracted position; a springactuated dog,

erable to move said boltto its retracted position;,means including anoutside handle to move said bolt to its retracted position means adaptedto be set by the second means to render the third means operable orinoperable to retract said bolt, and coacting means on the inside handleand bolt to prevent the setting of the fourth means by the movement ofthe inside handle when the bolt is in its retracted position, so thatthe thlrd means may be operated. l

I 6. In a device for latching a movable closure, the combination of amovable latch bolt, resilient means to move said bolt to a latchingposition, means including an inside handle operable to move said bolt toits retracted position; means including an'outside handle operable tomove said bolt to its retracted position; means to retain said bolt inits retracted position and releasable by the movement of the closureinto its closed position; and means operable by the movement of theinside handle to coact with the third means to prevent retraction of thebolt by the operation of theoutside handle when the closure is in itsclosed position.

' DAV ID W. WOOD.

